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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1999)
14 Just out * lanuary a. 1399 When an ordinary Realtor simply won't do... . Fi. ■ l • 1 c M I news S moke S ignals Creeping costs and health issues are not the only things to ponder before lighting up by Gip Plaster d á l J i k www.climbatree.com 9 3 3 SE 31st Ave. Portland, OR 9 7 2 1 4 Ê e »ro »m in office: 503-238-7617 R E tALTO . P* ROSENBAUM & ASSOCIATES A u to B ro k e rs Leading or Buying! L et us m ake y o u r n ext vehicle pu rch ase a p leasan t an d affo rd a b le experien ce. New & Used No Hassle, Personal Service All Rebates & Warranties Apply Trades & Factory Orders Welcome Jean Rosenbaum Ed McMahon 503 - 297-5250 Licensed & Bonded Motor Vehicle Dealer Ljou b/aue t//e s u p e r / n im a n pom .er to a b s o r b s t r e s s , convert it to steam am t re tu rn it 't a c t to w/tere it c a m e tru m . 03-643-5002 for more information our spas and the exceptional level of service that accompanies each one. Life has rew ards. W e've got one of them. Oregon HotSpringSpas /B ife Aas rew ards. Locations in C lackam as, Beaverton, Salem & Bend, www.orhotspringspas.com his past fall, tobacco companies and 46 states agreed to a deal that will force the companies to submit to advertising restrictions and spend $1.5 billion over the next five years to fond anti-smoking education pro grams. Given the recent headlines— and the reality that plenty of queer money goes up in smoke every year via the purchase of tobacco prod ucts —Just Out got to wonder ing about the gay-friendliness of the nation’s major tobacco companies. Philip Morris, the compa ny that created the Marlboro | Man, is the largest tobacco business in the United States and the world. It controls about half the U.S. market ^ and produces Marlboro, as *-’ well as Virginia Slims and Benson and Hedges. The company’s empire grew immediately after the tobacco deal was announced in November. It agreed to buy L&.M, Lark, and Chesterfield from Brooke Group Ltd.’s Liggett Group. Philip Morris has owned the international rights to the three brands for 20 years. Philip Morris includes sexual orientation in its nondiscrimination policy, and company offi cials say they address gay and lesbian issues dur ing diversity trainings. “We continue to implement a comprehen sive strategy to strengthen and promote diversi ty at all levels of our workforce and among ven dors who serve us,” says a Philip Morris state ment prepared in response to a request for infor mation. “Since differences can become a busi ness asset and can create a more dynamic and productive working environment, our diversity education training sessions are intended to shape an environment that supports and respects such differences.” Â D.C. D oobie T he fight to gain access to medical mari juana is playing out in a federal court room in Washington, D.C. A C T UP members Wayne ¿¿S/SS Turner and the late Steve Michael were the forces behind Initiative 59, a ballot measure designed to decrimi nalize and regulate medical use of marijuana in the Dis trict of Columbia. Last October— less than two weeks before the general elec- ^ tion— U.S. Rep. Boh Barr, a Republi can from Georgia, proposed an amendment to an appropriations bill, which passed Con gress without debate. The amendment pre vented the local board of elections from spending money on the initiative. The ballot was already printed, so the practical effect of the amendment was to prevent counting the citizens’ votes on the issue. In a Dec. 18 court hearing, Graham Boyd argued for Turner and other plaintiffs, includ ing the American Civil Liberties Union, say According to the missive, while Philip Mor ris does not offer domestic partner benefits, it is considering them and is currently conducting research to see how programs have been admin istered at other companies. Philip Morris does not have a gay and lesbian employees group hut would welcome one to join its “numerous other employee-run networks.” R.J. Reynolds, the nation’s No. 2 cigarette maker, is held by RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp., whose other major subsidiary, the separately traded Nabisco Holdings, is the country’s top cookie and cracker company. R.J. Reynolds sells almost 100 tobacco brands, includ ing Camel, Salem and Win- V ston. RJR Nabisco provided a page from its management guide as proof that the com pany supports a diverse work force. Its “Workforce Diversity Leadership Statement” claims the company provides a climate that “values diversity based on sexual orientation and all other characteristics which make each person unique.” The company only offers benefits to the spouses of married heterosexual employees, and its human resources department is not aware of any queer employee group within the company. Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp., the makers of Kool and the discount brand GPC, is the No. 3 cigarette maker in the U .S. and is a subsidiary of British American Tobacco, the world’s second largest cigarette maker. Brown and Williamson, which also makes Carlton and Lucky Strike, controls about 16 percent of the U.S. market. A company representative left a telephone message saying the company does not provide information to reporters about its policies. Requests for additional information were unan swered. ing the amendment was unconstitutional because it undermines a public discourse and First Amendment protections. He charged Congress acted out of hostili ty toward Initiative 59 and, in doing so, can celed an election— a move for which there is “literally no [legal] prece dent," he said. U .S. Justice Department attorney David Anderson defended Congress, saying it “ is the supreme political authority in the District of Columbia.” Judge Richard Roberts took the case under advisement. Speaking outside the courthouse, Turner said he was “outraged that the U.S. Department of Justice is defending the plan tation status that the residents of the District of Columbia have.” He added, “A s someone who watched the person I loved die of AIDS wasting syn drome, I will fight tooth and nail so that the terminally ill can be comfortable in their last days." ■ Reported by B o b R o eh r